William Swindler
WILLIAM lives in the shadow of his father, the feared Cobra Commander, who is known to some as the most dangerous man in the world. Ashamed of his father's notoriety, and for crimes he's committed assisting his father in the past, William has devoted his life to fighting Cobra Commander's schemes in any way he can. He has even going as far as teaming up with his father's greatest enemy, G.I. Joe. An accomplished Arashikage martial artist, William trained with Storm Shadow, and still maintains great respect for his instructor. As a result of an injury sustained while fleeing Cobra agents, William has only one eye and one leg, a handicap he seldom lets slow him down. If anything, his hardships only increase his determination to succeed at all costs. History Canonical/Pre-MUX/Theme History: Not much is known of the past of Billy's father, Cobra Commander's, but in his early career he was a used car salesman."Unmaskings" While struggling to keep his business afloat, he learned that a car crash had taken the life of his older brother, Dan, who had been driving drunk. Embittered by this tragedy, Cobra Commander became obsessed with vindicating his brother's death. He took specific interest in the surviving son of the family killed in the accident with Dan. That man was the soldier better known as Snake-Eyes. Cobra Commander managed to track Snake-Eyes to Japan, where he was training to become a member of the Arashikage ninja clan. The Commander hired a mercenary called Firefly to kill him, but Firefly soon realized he was no match for his target, instead referring Cobra Commander to another assassin, Zartan, who infiltrated the clan and shot at Snake-Eyes with an arrow stolen earlier from another ninja, Storm Shadow. However, it was not Snake-Eyes who was hit, but the clan's leader and Storm Shadow's uncle, Hard Master. "Snake-Eyes: The Origin" Storm Shadow was blamed for the murder and fled in search of the killer. "Snake-Eyes: The Origin Part II" Cobra Commander returned to his domestic life, but after his wife gave birth to a son, Billy, she found out about what had happened in Japan. He took the child and left his wife, becoming increasingly paranoid and blaming all his problems on "the system". He traveled across America with Billy, seeking out people who shared his desire to topple big business and the government, using money he had earned from pyramid schemes to attract followers. He then moved to the town of Springfield, where the businesses were struggling and the population had become disillusioned with existing policy. He applied his influence to corrupt the township and eventually took control of it. Within the town, he established a clandestine terrorist group called Cobra. For reasons and in ways unknown, Billy left his father, and joined the anti-Cobra underground organization. Storm Shadow's search for his uncle's killer eventually led him to Cobra, which Storm Shadow joined, pledging loyalty to Cobra Commander as his personal bodyguard. The Baroness and Major Bludd recruited Billy to carry out Cobra Commander's assassination,"Darkness" but he was intercepted by Destro before he could accomplish his task. "Celebration!" Cobra Commander had become such a rabid megalomaniac by this point that he had no qualms about torturing his own son, yet Billy refused to surrender any information identifying who had sponsored the hit. Such tenacity impressed Storm Shadow, so he freed Billy"Judgments" and they both escaped to New York, where Storm Shadow trained him in ninjitsu. "Walk Through the Jungle" & "Ties That Bind" Billy was later caught in the crossfire between the Soft Master and Cobra agent Scrap-Iron, when the car he was driving in exploded."Crossroads" When the Joes destroyed their base to save secrets, Cobra Commander and Destro were trapped underground, presumed dead."Pit-Fall" However they survived""Launch Base" and were forced to work together to make their way to freedom. Given the danger of Serpentor, they undertook to keep a low profile as they made their way home. It was during this cross-country trek with Destro that Cobra Commander learned of Billy's fate: though he survived the explosion, he had lost a leg and an eye, and lay in a coma ever since. Unnerved by the tragedy, the Commander took responsibility for Billy's condition, and promised to be a better father."Unmaskings" Seeking out the Crimson Guard Fred VII, a mechanical genius who built Billy a new robotic leg, the Commander set up shop in Denver, where Billy eventually awoke from the coma. Fitted with a mechanical prosthetic leg by Fred VII, Billy unwittingly stumbled upon the Blind Master and Jinx. Seeing that Fred VII had constructed a suit of battle-armor for Cobra Commander, who was once again plotting to take over the world, Billy walked out on his father. The incident left Cobra Commander to reflect on the folly of his ways, but Fred VII was so angered to see his commander throwing away what he had dedicated his life toward that he shot Cobra Commander in the back, apparently killing him. Unaware that he was being watched, Fred VII buried the body. It was exhumed by another Crimson Guardsman, Fred VIII, who discovered that Cobra Commander was not dead after all, and managed to revive him. With Fred VII masquerading as him in Cobra, the Commander began to form a new organization in secret. When Dr. Mindbender went to Cobra Commander's supposed grave to harvest DNA for the genetic creation of a new leader, he instead discovered the empty grave. Cobra Commander took that opportunity to return to Cobra, this time even more maniacal than before, filled with rage and unwilling to harbor any traitors (real or perceived). His first act was to imprison those who had betrayed him: Fred VII, his partner Raptor, Firefly, Dr. Mindbender, Zartan, Billy, and numerous Cobra troops, all of whom he had buried alive within a volcano on Cobra Island. He relinquished all traces of morality and humanity, and rebuilt a new command infrastructure by instituting a brainwashing program to compel allegiance from those around him, including repeatedly brainwashing Destro, The Baroness, Zartan, Storm Shadow and Billy. MUX History: On the MUX, William has a very unease relationship with his father. He opposes and despises Cobra Commander's actions, but is conflicted about his feelings for him as a person. For the last several years he's tries to avoid the Cobra/G.I. Joe conflict entirely. For years he helped run a dojo in New York City. However, in 2014, the Arashikage martial arts academy building was bought out by unknown parties, and the staff of the Academy (minus William who isn't a Joe) returned to the Pit until a new location for the school could be found. William himself was left without an apartment until he could find a new place to live. Broke and homeless, William wound up accepting an offer from help from his estranged father. Name Growing up, Billy moved around a lot, and in each new location he was told a new last name and a new identity to use if anyone asked. On the MUX, his real name is William Swindler - an unfortunate name for the son of a salesman. It was his real, unusual name that he was using when he was injured and put into the hospital -- his dad still had his real ID with the same name when he was stopped by the police. However, since breaking ties with his father, William has used many aliases and last names, the most prominent being 'Kessler.' However, due to the frequent changes during his early childhood, compounded by intentional mucking around with his memories by Dr. Mindbender, William isn't sure what exactly his birth name even is. OOC Notes Logs Players William is available for application. After a time of being temped by BZero, William is now temped by SpikeWitwicky. Gallery Billy1.jpg Billy2.jpg billy3.jpg Billy4.gif billy5.gif billy6.gif billy7.gif BillyComics.jpg BillyBattlefield.jpg References * Billy @ myuselessknowledge.com * Billy @ YoJoe.com Shattered Glass In the Shattered Glass universe, William has rejected his father's peacenik agenda, and has joined the Arashikage ninja clan, training to become an assassin. ---- Category:Arashikage Category:Characters Category:Cobra Category:Former Cobra Category:GI Joe Category:FCs Category:Humans Category:Ninja Category:Ninja Force